Florida Everblades
| owner = | coach = Tad O' Had | GM = Craig Brush | media = | affiliates = Carolina Hurricanes / Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), Charlotte Checkers / Norfolk Admirals (AHL) | name1 = Florida Everblades | dates1 = 1998–present |reg_season_titles = 1999–00, 2008–09, 2017-18 |division_titles = 1999–00, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2017-18 |conf_titles = 2003–04, 2004–05, 2017-18 |kelly_cups = None }} The Florida Everblades are an ECHL ice hockey team playing in the Southeast Division. The team is based in Estero, Florida and plays at Germain Arena (Formerly Teco Arena). The team has existed since 1998. The Everblades are affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers and the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Everblades are thought of as a model franchise for the ECHL, as they have not missed the playoffs in any of their eleven seasons and have made two appearances in the Kelly Cup Finals. The Everblades' fanbase is also considered to be one of the best in the league, as many games at Germain Arena sell out, especially Saturday night games. Many fans of different NHL and minor-league teams, as well as international fans, come out to watch the Everblades. The team was founded by current owner Craig Brush in 1998. Prior to the building of the Germain Arena, the arena sat on an empty cow pasture on what is now Everblades Parkway near Interstate 75 in Estero. Brush was said to be reading a free copy of a National Geographic magazine that featured articles on the Florida Everglades, when he envisioned the idea to bring a minor-league hockey team to Southwest Florida. The team's name derives from the former Kentucky Thoroughblades AHL franchise. The Everblades' logo features a gator-head design fused in the form of an ice skate. The logo was designed by a Vancouver graphic design company affiliated with Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, who came up with the idea of choosing the Everblades colors as blue and green, in tribute to the Hartford Whalers team that Karmanos moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. The Everblades' inaugural home opener featured a pre-game ceremony in which a large alligator was brought onto the ice to pay tribute to the team's name and logo, as well as Florida's vast population of reptile species. As of March 15, 2009, the Everblades are currently in first place in both the Southeast Division as well as the entire ECHL, followed in second by the Alaska Aces, who lead the Western Division. Both teams have secured a postseason in the playoffs. Awards and Trophies E.A. Gingher Memorial Trophy The Everblades have won the E.A. Gingher Memorial Trophy in 2004,2005, and 2018. In 2004, the trophy was given to the champion of the Eastern Conference and to the American Conference champion in 2005. In both years, the Everblades lost to the winners of the Bruce Taylor Trophy. In 2004 the loss was to the Idaho Steelheads of the Western Conference and to the Trenton Titans of the National Conference in 2005. Brabham Cup In the 1999–2000 season, the Everblades won the Brabham Cup. This trophy is given to the team that has the best position in the standings for the entire league. The Everblades took the trophy with 108 points (53-15-2), but fell in the first round to the Augusta Lynx. In the ECHL in 2000, there was no overtime period, with play going directly to a shootout. Therefore all losses in a shootout are designated as ties. The team would win the award again in 2018 when they finished atop the league standings with 112 points. Historic games in Everblades History 2005 Playoff Brawl One famous event that stands out among Blades' fans was during the 2005 ECHL playoffs. With the Everblades hosting the Greenville Grrrowl on April 22, 2005 for the first game of the American Conference Semifinals, the Everblades and Grrrowl would engage in a third-period line brawl that would see both teams combine for 197 minutes in penalties. The brawl stemmed from previous incidents throughout the game. Prior to the brawl, then-Everblades forward Greg Hornby checked Greenville's Vladimir Gusev hard into the boards behind the net. Gusev would leave the game injured, and as a result, the pace of the game as well as checking, would pick up. With the Blades up 4-1 with under six minutes to play in the third period, then-Greenville pest Krys Barch would screen the net during a Greenville shooting attempt. Everblades defenceman Tim O'Connell checked Barch from behind numerous times, hoping to clear him from in front of the net. Barch, having been fed up with being pressured, turned around hoping to sucker-punch O'Connell. Instead, O'Connell quickly skated away from the crease before Barch turned around, and Barch would end up punching Everblades goalie Tyler Mackay. O'Connell jumped on top of Barch, resulting in a dog pile. All players on the ice dropped the gloves for a wild line brawl that would see Florida goalie Tyler Mackay and others getting ejected for fighting. After all the mayhem, Craig Kowalski would take Mackay's place as netminder. Shortly thereafter, the Everblades' Simon Tremblay would scrap with Greenville's Adam Nightingale to end the fiasco. The Everblades would go onto win the game, 4-1, and sweep the series, three games to none. Ironically, game 2 featured no fights as the Everblades won an overtime thriller by a score of 3-2. 2004 American Conference Finals Game 5 in the 2004 American Conference Finals was quite a memorable series for the Everblades. The Blades would face the Reading Royals in five games in what would be an epic series. Reading evened the series at home, winning Game 3 and Game 4, respectively. With the score knotted at two for Game 5, the game was sent to overtime. Jon McNabb of the Everblades would score on a breakaway goal to defeat the Royals in front of a record crowd of 7,080 fans at Germain Arena. Season-by-season record :* The 2008–09 team played 71 games because of scheduling changes caused by the Augusta Lynx and Fresno Falcons ceasing operations mid-season. Four of the five teams (Florida, Charlotte, South Carolina, Mississippi) played 71 games, with Gwinnett playing 72. Current roster As of October 21, 2009.Roster References Category:American ice hockey teams